Wednesday, November 6, 2019

For some reason Brian Brown is defending conversion therapy

In an effort to attract donations to National Organization for Marriage, Brian S. Brown is complaining about bans on juvenile conversion therapy.

Wednesday's missive from Brian S. Brown (National Organization for Marriage) is titled: shutting us down. According to Mr. Brown, president of the rabidly anti-LGBTQ organization:

Leaders of the LGBT community have largely abandoned any attempt to rationalize or debate their agenda. Rather, they seek to impose it through intimidation and shaming, and the exercise of raw political power. They are determined to use this power to shut down organizations and groups that help people wishing to leave the LGBT lifestyle, and they want to shut down any attempt to oppose the imposition of their gender ideology.

You cannot “debate” evidence unless one has contrary evidence. Medical science is based on evidence. The evidence demonstrates that conversion therapy is ineffective and harmful. Christian conservatives routinely and dishonestly claim that being gay, bisexual or transgender is a “lifestyle.” They do so to dishonestly imply that being LGBTQ is a choice while, at the same time, appealing to stereotypes.

Brian S. Brown routinely and dishonestly refers to gender as an “ideology.” Mr. Brown is projecting. Mr. Brown's lifestyle is that of a fundamentalist Catholic. Moreover, Mr. Brown is an adherent to a fundamentalist Catholic ideology. Mr. Brown's beliefs and practices are at odds with those of the vast majority of Catholics. Brown represents the extreme fringe of the faith. Mr. Brown's locale at the fringe becomes obvious:

There are a number of groups in the country, many of them Christian ministries, that work to help members of the LGBT community to leave that lifestyle. Very often, these ministries are led by people who themselves are former homosexuals.

That above is irrelevant. There is no evidence demonstrated by peer-reviewed research to sustain conversion therapy. The consensus of medical science is that conversion therapy is ineffective and harmful. Furthermore, the largest and best funded of those groups was Exodus International.

Nearly eight years ago Alan Chambers, the president of Exodus International, stated that “the majority of people that I have met, and I would say the majority, meaning 99.9% of them, have not experienced a change in their orientation.” Chambers also apologized for the previous Exodus slogan “Change Is Possible.” Exodus subsequently closed:

I am sorry for the pain and hurt many of you have experienced. I am sorry that some of you spent years working through the shame and guilt you felt when your attractions didn’t change. I am sorry we promoted sexual orientation change efforts and reparative theories about sexual orientation that stigmatized parents.

Alan Chambers—June 19, 2013

Consider Chambers' statement, above. Contrast that to Brian S. Brown's complaint that we are guilty of shaming Brown and his ilk in order to exercise political power. Mr. Brown is worthy of shame because of his conduct. Gay people do not deserve to be shamed because some some conservative Christians disapprove of their sexual orientation. Brown's behavior is a choice. Being LGBTQ is not.
The following gibberish requires a translator:

There is considerably less support for gender-confused individuals struggling to better understand the issues and research information that raises questions or doubts about transgenderism.

It is Mr. Brown who is confused. Mr. Brown is profoundly confused. Being transgender is not a condition. It is a means of mitigating a condition; gender dysphoria. People who suffer from gender dysphoria (gender incongruence) are not confused. They are quite certain of their gender which is why the condition exists in the first place. What “research information” is Brown referring to? In September researchers at Harvard Medical School determined that gender conversion “therapy” is extremely toxic with lifetime adverse effects.

Of course:

Needless to say, money donated to NOM is not going to change the science regarding conversion therapy. Brown goes on … and on … and on.